1960 4104 second big trip

[Nel]

So since the first big trip down to Wildwood NJ about 200 miles , we had planned this trip to Bethany Beach Delaware area called Delaware Shores rv/camp site about 250 miles each way from West Nyack NY. I felt more confident in the bus so packed it up with all the camping goodies we could remember and off we went , my wife and two boys age 18 and 19. Bus fired right up , tires checked , all systems go and this time I had my EZ Pass tag ( over 7000 lbs. and six wheel tag). no more arguing with toll takers as I mentioned in the first trip, wow that probably saved us 30 minutes alone.
     The bus ran great the whole trip, what a machine, we don't have over the road ac and still with the fans , front vents ( custom cut below driver and pass. seats in front above bumper) and windows open it wasn't too bad. We had days in the high 80's on the way down and the engine temp. stayed at 180 the whole time. On the way down we were able to meet up with the original conversion owners who live in NJ that owned the 4104 from 1980 till 2000 and got a lot of the history of the bus when they owned it, (we actually found them thru BCM about a year ago) nicest people we could have met, Nick and Rose Badame , now in their 70's and 80's knew this bus in and out like they owned it yesterday also met their son Nick who owns an awesome MCI now, excellent craftsmanship that he and his dad did them selves in their work shop.
         We chose to take the Cape May Ferry to Delaware Shores after leaving Cape May, wow what a ferry, you have to get there an hour before your scheduled time and they line you up in a staging area , when it was our turn drove the bus onto the ferry with no problems. What a way to travel it took 80 minutes to get across by ferry but it was such a cool thing to do with the bus we got a lot of people looking at the 4104 and smiling. The ferry was very comfy , once you park your vehicle you sit back in their lounge / food areas or go to the top decks for the views . It was cool looking down at the bus from the upper decks although I never painted the very top center of the roof thinking no one will ever see up there, well , I'll be painting that soon now.One thing I have a new appreciation for now is how important it is to get the air conditioning right in these buses, we happened to  camp in a park with zero shade and record high temps and humidity, ouch that hurt. we thought we could get away with one of those portable ac units because I hate the way the roof ac's look but man it could barely keep us comfy, so have to come up with a plan B , maybe a split unit in the basement or just watch the weather better next time or go north.
         Overall another great trip in the 4104 , love this machine and really love it's durability. Get your old coaches on the road and have a blast,
                                                            Nelson
         
   

[DoubleEagle]

You may find that A/C's are somewhat necessary nowadays, especially if you are stuck in traffic on the East Coast. The lower profile "Penquin" units are longer and lower, but it means cutting holes in the roof and running wires to them. The split units might work if you have a spot to put them. Either way, you need an appropriate generator to power them on the road. One thing leads to another. You seem to be happy as you are, so it must be a sweet running 4104. 

[Nel]

Walter , you are right about needing the ACs , I will look into the lower profile units, I do have the 14 x 14 holes up there from the original non working units I removed. I just don't want to ruin the beautiful roof line of the 4104, unless I have no choice, still looking into the splits too. Thanks

[DoubleEagle]

Well, since you have the previous holes, you might have the previous wiring, that would be your least difficult option. The low profiles look better than the boxier units, and the super expensive star coaches still have five of them on top, so you will be in good company. Since you are at 35 ft., space inside the coach is at a premium.

[Scott & Heather]

Fun read Nelson!


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[Nel]

Thanks Scott